Table of contents for No 209 October 2022 in NZV8

What inspired you to have the automotive preferences you do? That vision is usually shaped by your youth, the people you grew up with, the cars your friends owned, or even the motoring members of your family. For as long as I can remember, I can always picture the garages of whichever house we were living in at the time. I would see my father after work at dinner time, and the rest of the time, if I wanted to see him, I’d find him in the shed, spinning spanners and swapping stories with his buddies. He was not the type of father who would sit down and help me with my homework — he taught me how to change a tyre or do an oil change, among other skills…

Ford is adamant about continuing its Bronco blitz despite ongoing inventory and supply chain shortages. The Bronco Raptor may be the star of 2023, but it won’t be the only iteration of the Blue Oval’s revived 4x4 nameplate to make its debut for the new model year. One of the newcomers will be recognisable to fans of the vintage Bronco. It is known as the Heritage Edition and is heavily influenced by the original 1966 model, right down to the ‘Ford’ script on the Bronco’s Oxford White grille (it is also available in a fancier Heritage Limited variant, limited to just 1966 units per model). The Bronco Sport joins in the fun as well, albeit a little less overtly, by adopting retro paint colours (Robin’s Egg Blue, anyone?) and more…

BATHURST 2006 This was a special race for many reasons, as it marked the first race following the death of nine-time winner Peter Brock, who had passed away at Targa West the previous month. In what were incredible emotional scenes, an honorary lap around the mountain for each of Brock’s Bathurst winners was led by protégé Craig Lowndes in his 1972 Holden Dealer Team Torana GTR XU-1. Lowndes hadn’t won the event in 10 years, but in his second outing for Triple Eight Race Engineering — having moved from Ford Performance Racing — he was returning to the front and was a real contender for the title. Amid all the emotion, Lowndes started the race and it proved a dream result as he fought off major title contender, Rick Kelly,…

It’s like a tradition. Get up at sparrow’s fart, drive for two hours, and get some chips and a hotdog. This is how you start the awesome Palmerston North Swap Meet hosted by Palmerston North Hot Rod Club. Make sure you’re through the gates of Manfeild Park early though, as parking fills up bloody quick, and there’s plenty of talking to be done in the hours ahead. The comments you get from talking with people always crack me up. For some, it’s “rusty old piles of crap that no-one will ever use”, and then, the “wow” moment, when someone finds that one piece that they have been trying to find for what feels like a millennia that will finish their piece of art. This was made clear when, as I…

To quote my old mate GMT – Geoff Mitford-Taylor of Napier – “less is MORE!” What we are talking about here of course is the recipe to build a truly timeless hot rod. Here he goes again I hear you say, but there is an unwritten rule as to how a good looking, timeless hot rod should be built and we need to all remind each other of it more than you realise. Case in point is when guys call me or visit my shop and start talking about the numerous TV shows they watch of USA-based people building hot rods or custom cars. I call it unreality TV because it’s mainly just bullshit for the camera and in a lot of cases, these cars are done in a way…

It can be a bizarre tale: how individuals discover their next endeavour. John Popenhagen’s narrative began at his grandson’s birthday party, where he was a guest. A 1961 Morris Commercial bus sat in the middle of an overgrown yard while the youngsters at the party ran around and played outside. When John’s thoughts began to race, he went straight to the owner and inquired about the item’s availability for purchase. The fact that it wasn’t for sale but could be his free as long as he met one requirement astounded him. He was shocked! If he could remove it, then it was his. IF HE COULD REMOVE IT, THEN IT WAS HIS John, who works as a grounds and maintenance keeper during the day, has a lot of experience of…

It’s been a long, hard road for this Buick Estate but finally after eight years the end is in sight for this one-of-a-kind custom. Owner Ross Higgott found the wagon in the USA and shipped it to Australia, where he was working at the time. Three panel shops later — the first of which went bust and nearly lost Ross his car — what started as a four door is now a two door with a ton of other custom touches, such as the widened rear guards, one-piece tailgate, shaved door handles — the list goes on and on. The firewall is completely smooth, with everything hidden under the custom dash with access through the hinged gauge cluster to the reservoirs. The engine is an LS1 and six-speed from a…

James Mctavish may have owned his ’72 XU1 Torana shell for 10 years, and had plans for it that whole time, but only now is it making true progress. It’s recently been painted by Andrew at HD Refinishers, which means the assembly stage is now underway. That includes a 400ci small block Chev based on a Dart block along with Krysler Shop nine-inch rear end and adjustable arms. With all that power in the lightweight body, James has wisely added a Wilwood brake package and is ensuring plenty of work goes into the suspension set-up to replace all the OE components. We’ve seen plenty of James’s customer car work on these pages before, so look forward to seeing his own project come to fruition.…

Pukekohe Park, the current home of the Supercars New Zealand round, and in some opinions the home of motor racing in New Zealand, has announced that it will cease hosting motorsport events in 2023. The news sees the end of 60 years of motorsport at the venue come to an end on 2 April 2023. Auckland Thoroughbred Racing (ATR) now owns the facility, which is centred on a horse racing precinct, following a merger with Counties Racing Club in 2021. ATR has announced that it will discontinue its motorsport endeavours after this year in order to focus on thoroughbred racing. It suggests that this year’s ITM Auckland SuperSprint round of the Supercars Championship (9-11 September) may be the last to be held at Pukekohe Park Raceway. Pukekohe and its surrounding…

The Knights of New Zealand, avid fans of Knight Rider and keen to see the KITT legend live on, will once again be on tour. The last tour held in Wellington in 2020 was a huge hit with all the fans of the TV series, and in celebration of 40 years of Knight Rider, the Trio will take to the Auckland Sky Tower, where they will be on display from 23-28 September. The Trio — Scott ‘the Huff’ Harvey, Steven ‘Muscles’ Sykes, and Greg ‘the Historian’ Hackett — say they are there for an amazing display and to keep the legend alive, also raising awareness and fundraise for a charity they admire, the Child Cancer Foundation (CCF). The Knights mention that they are working hard to bring back the original…

DAN SOON WORKED OUT IT REALLY DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH POWER FOR HIM In the three years since Dan Hendy stepped away from riding superbikes, he’s managed to embed himself deep within the NZ burnout scene. Although he puts a lot of his fast action down to his self-confessed impulsive behaviour, the truth is there’s a little bit more logic to it than that. Riding superbikes is not for the faint-hearted, so when he had a child on the way, it helped him make the decision to move away from the sport. Adding to this was the conflict between him needing to be light for the bikes, but bulking up because of his other hobby of bodybuilding, so something had to give. Having owned various Holdens over the years, he started…

To the Holden faithful, I apologise in advance for what you’re about to read. In fact — probably best that you don’t read it. Yes … turn the page, and move on. For the rest of you, to follow is the slightly embarrassing continuation of last month’s story about coming out of the closet, and owning up to my recent dirty little indulgence. There were two things that the painful E550 AMG Mercedes-Benz experience of a few years ago taught me. The first was that buying from a car dealer who understands and follows the provisions of the Consumer Guarantees Act is really important. Little surprise when we’re talking about used-car dealers, but they don’t all do that. Over recent years, I’ve had one really positive experience in this regard,…

While the car scene is amazingly varied, there are two distinct groups: those happy to take the glory and attention that comes with building something that stands out, and those happier to hide in the shadows. The owners of this beautiful ’68 Charger fall squarely into the second group, happy to let the flawless workmanship take all of the attention while they remain anonymous. That’s easier said than done when they own a collection of cars most of us would be shouting from the rooftops about. That collection includes not just the Charger — of which the ’68 model is long admired as the best of — but also a ’69 Dodge Super Bee, ’68 Dodge Dart GTS and a few Chevs. The dream ride though is the ultimate B-body…

Remember the days of Autosalon? Cars dumped on their arses, bright, in-ya-face paint schemes, equally outrageous interiors, oversized chrome wheels, TVs poked into every available orifice, and stereos that would make your ears bleed? Ah yes, Autosalon, those were the days! One person who certainly hasn’t forgotten the hype and excitement of those shows is Rotorua’s Monty Corbett. It was the fond memories and good times he had during that period that were the inspiration behind his outlandish VE Commodore you find on these pages. Monty reflects, “As a teenager going to all the Autosalon car shows, Fast 4 and Rotary drags, car shows, and various other car events … I had always wished and dreamed of owning a car of that calibre, but I never thought it would happen…

1966 CHEVROLET NOVA @RICL909 A car’s stance is the first thing that should be set during the build, and this Nova had it completed correctly no doubt! Using a Scott’s Hot Rods front clip and Alston Chassis Works rear end, the ride height was set perfectly over the custom Forgeline wheels. Those wheels come in at an impressive 19x8 and 20x11-inches. Completing the build is a tough LS-based engine package along with a five speed Tremec manual transmission. What a machine! 1980 CHEVROLET C10 @AUGUSTMOTORCARS Simple yet effective’ was the game plan with this C10 build, and it ticks all the obligatory boxes with ease. A smooth 5.3 litre LS engine combo mated to a four-speed transmission ensures the truck rolls along as good as it looks with its cherry…

The middle of winter isn’t typically a time that car culture is celebrated by most, but when the annual Palmy swap-meet and Kruzin Kustoms Open House roll around, you would be mistaken for thinking summer has fired up. Despite the sun and mercury still sitting low, Kruzin Kustoms brought the heat with hot rods, hot grills, and red-hot fabrication skills on show for the adoring public. The Palmerston North-based workshop annually downs tools, swings open its doors, and enjoys a day mingling with the public, who get a chance to see up close exactly where all the magic happens. As much as we love seeing the finished products kruzin the streets, getting a peek behind the curtain and spinning a yarn with the team from the Manawatu speed-shop is an…

We’ve seen some unconventional burnout cars in our time, but never a Chevrolet Corvair — not that it’s stopped Shawn Aikman from building one. Originally the ’60 Corvair was exported to New Zealand as a parts car, so was never going to be road legal unless put through as a scratch build, not that that worried Shawn who always intended to build it as a skid machine. From factory the little coupe came unibody and rear engined, but thanks to a full chassis built with the help of a family friend, a more conventional layout sees a blown small block Chev up front and a nine-inch rear end. The front end sees C4 Corvette suspension arms blended with Subaru steering, and Audi coilovers, while out back it’s an adjustable four-link,…

GM President Mark Reuss told CNBC in April that a battery-electric Chevrolet Corvette is on the way. “We will offer electrified and fully electric Corvettes in the future, in addition to the spectacular new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and various gas-powered versions. An electrified Corvette will be ready as soon as next year. Details and identities will be revealed later.” The big question right now is when. According to Muscle Cars & Trucks, a battery-only Corvette will not be available during the current C8 generation because the Y2 chassis may require too much tinkering for an optimal conversion. MCT, on the other hand, believes that “the C9 Corvette EV feels more or less inevitable”. The site also believes that electrification would contribute to the growth of the Corvette brand, which has…

Texas Truck was an easy name for this ’52 Ford F1 pickup. It’s from Texas and, besides, it’s written on the original plate. After much searching for a body with just the right amount of ‘weathering’, Tim from The Krysler Shop found this one in the tiny township of Little Elm on the outskirts of Dallas–Fort Worth. After a few phone calls, there was a driver on the way with a bundle of cash to make the exchange. The truck was imported in 2017 for a local Mount Maunganui customer, the brief given to Tim being simple: “It needs to do skids and tow a trailer, and I have a fuel card.” Being a Ford man himself, Tim knew the only option was to build it with a 460-cube big…

Dwayne Garrett made waves in Top Alcohol over the last few seasons, working his way to a PB of 5.83 at 233mph. This season though, things are looking very different. The dragster has been moved on as a roller, and replaced with the ex Steve ‘Cowboy’ Carlsen/Mark Bardsley Top Doorslammer Camaro. The 511-cube BAE that was plucked from the dragster has been fitted and attached to a Lenco CS1 and 10.7-inch Crower clutch and 9.5-inch Strange Ultra Case rear end. The team are currently busy doing a few mods such as fitting an RPM dash, changing the handbrake and pedal set-up, and fitting new sliders for the Lenco. Once that’s all sorted they’ll move on to the breather tank set-up and then the task of fitting the electromotion safety shutdown…

The 1950s were a wild time for America. To the brand new sounds of Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly and under the glow of neon-bathed diners on every street corner, the US left behind the austerity of the immediate post-war era and firmly entered what many would define as the golden age for the victorious and newly emboldened country. Americans had firmly found their identity and their confidence, and so had Detroit’s manufacturers such as Packard. Like most other automotive brands of the time, Packard set about creating a series of concept show cars in order to showcase its new manufacturing capabilities, hint at future design intentions, and ignite the public’s interest in its brand. Of course, we now know that Packard ultimately failed at this, and the…

New Zealand has a fantastic car culture; no matter the type of vehicle you own or like, there are events happening all around the country to participate in. Summer has a full calendar of events throughout the country, from the deep South to the far North, but once the cooler months hit and winter is upon us, things slow down, with many people using winter to work on their cars. Back in 2010, Southern Street Rodders had just held their March run — the last of the season — but members Rick Ives and Will Sales weren’t quite ready to go into hibernation. They hatched the idea of running a monthly breakfast meet, independent of any club. May 2010 saw them hold their first breakfast, at the Highway Inn; it…

While most of the concepts seen on these pages are on cars yet to be built, this month’s is a bit different — the evolution of a car that’s not just on the road, but already award-winning. When you’ve owned and driven a car for 10 years, you may begin to get an itch to make changes to it, and an itch that this concept sets out to scratch. The car in question is no other than the winner of the Repco Beach Hop 21 — a 1956 Cadillac coupe known as ‘Necessary Evil’. The name came about from the fact the car was originally patinated, but NZ’s harsh climate started to take its toll on the almost bare metal of the body, and something had to change … so…

When you hang around a workshop or two like us, then you’re always picking up ways that guys work. Little tips that save you time and money and, quite frankly, leave you wondering why the hell you’ve been doing it the way you have all your life! So we thought it would be handy to share our favourites with you to help you up your hack game. Some you may know, others you may not, and if you don’t, we hope they are game changers for your own weekend hacking. If you have any workshop hacks worth sharing, let us know. TRIM SILICONE HOSE SQUARE Cutting a silicone hose straight is one of those pesky jobs that, although seems simple at first, is really another story, as the hose squashes…

The team from Krysler Shop have another killer build well underway, this time a ’54 Ford F100. The truck is being built for Rotorua’s Allan Flavel and is based on a freshly imported ex-California rust-free cab and chassis. Well-known Kiwi expat Duane Jones made the trip to pick it up and send it on its way to Tauranga where it’s now getting a serious overhaul. The truck’s previous owner worked for Currie Enterprises, so naturally it came with a fabricated nine-inch diff with 35-spline axles and a nodular iron third member with Wavetrac LSD. The chassis had an American spec C-notch, which naturally the Krysler Shop team knew wouldn’t be staying. Instead the dodgy chassis work has been replaced with a Krysler Shop rear frame rail kit complete with four…

If you are a fan of factory-built, incredibly proficient machines that walk the line between racing and street legal vehicles, then you may be familiar with the ‘Cannonball Run’ and what is now known as ‘One Lap of America’. Both of these names refer to the same event but have been altered over the course of its history. Car manufacturers and tuners join up to compete in a cross-country race across America, which has become a battle of endurance and also a great marketing tool for them. It has transitioned away from conventional time/speed/distance rallies and from touring rallies, and has begun to see some genuine competition as a result of a rise in the number of high-performance factory street vehicles that want to participate. This brings us to the…